April

After Easter, the boys were off for Spring Break.

Spring Break during tax season means a lot of lounging around the house....while Kevin works.

By the end of the week the three of us were rubbing on each others nerves a bit, so I called in reinforcements with a good friend of mine and her kids.  That was a much more relaxing afternoon for us all.

Once school picked back up, the days have sped along.

Keenan's grade completed and displayed their panels for the "Gates of Paradise."

They have been studying the Renaissance and these panels reference the doors Ghiberti created for a baptistry in Florence.  Michelangelo saw the doors and referred to them as the Gates of Paradise.  The name stuck, and Keenan and his classmates took their panel creating very seriously.

They have been on display at school for the past few weeks with top secret, anonymous voting on best panels.  Winners will be announced on Friday.

Not naming names, but my favorite panel can be seen here:

 And here are some more.
This is one of my favorite art displays each year.

 Every Thursday afternoon has found Keenan & I hanging out at track.
Kieran enjoys the practices, the meets, and has set a new PR for the 2 mile run (3200 meter).

 And we finally got a long overdue, much anticipated, very much needed new basketball goal a couple weeks ago!  Yay!

 April 15th brought an F2 tornado roaring through East Greensboro leaving a thirty plus mile path of mess and destruction.  This area has been hit hard.  Monday we found out that Samaritan's Purse Disaster Response was sending a team to Greensboro for clean up help.  They have been based at our church for the past two weeks, co-ordinating relief clean up, helping homeowners, and sending out volunteer crews two times a day.  They have been a blessing.
Tuesday April 17th finally arrived.

 And Kevin's annual ditch-the-beard-from-tax-season did too.

 Last week was a whirlwind of activity that all came together on Friday.
Fourth grade held a Renaissance Faire and Wax Museum.  The wax museum is for the entire Grammar School to enjoy.
This child had Sir Walter Raleigh.

 Thanks for the loan of the jacket Rebecca.
He rocked it and his wax museum monologue.

 As the Renaissance Faire and wax museum was going on at school.... the eighth grade was off campus setting up activity booths for athletes competing in the area Special Olympics.
Kieran was chosen to manage a booth, and he and his other classmates had been prepping for months.

 The entire middle school came to help run the booths, cheer and support the athletes competing.
It was amazing to watch these teenagers take leadership, and be blessings to others.
Amazing.
Saturday I helped Samaritan's Purse ministries again with running their phones for more tornado cleanup.  While I was doing that, Kevin and Kieran ran a 4 miler trail run.  Kieran said it was a "Meh" feeling run & felt like he did ok.
Uh, yeah.....he came in fourth OVERALL.
Yeah.
Then we all headed to a soccer game for this kid:

followed by a school art show that Keenan had two pieces in,

 and then a play at school.
Yesterday was Kevin & I's eighteenth anniversary.
We celebrated by seeing the new Avengers movie with the boys.
We did have the luxury reclining seats though.